Nectanebo I (
Egyptian: ; grc-gre, Νεκτάνεβις ; died 361/60 BCE) was an
ancient Egyptian
pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until th ...
, founder of the last native dynasty of Egypt, the
30th.
Name
Nectanebo's Egyptian personal name was
Nḫt-nb.f, which means "the strong one of his lord". Greek sources rendered the name as (). The writings of
Manetho
Manetho (; grc-koi, Μανέθων ''Manéthōn'', ''gen''.: Μανέθωνος) is believed to have been an Egyptian priest from Sebennytos ( cop, Ϫⲉⲙⲛⲟⲩϯ, translit=Čemnouti) who lived in the Ptolemaic Kingdom in the early third ...
which have been preserved by
George Syncellus spell it (), but this is probably only based on a phonetic approximation due to
iotacism
Iotacism ( el, ιωτακισμός, ''iotakismos'') or itacism is the process of vowel shift by which a number of vowels and diphthongs converged towards the pronunciation in post-classical Greek and Modern Greek. The term "iotacism" refer ...
. Although convention in English assigns identical names to him and his grandson,
Nectanebo II, the two in fact had different names.
Reign
Accession and family
Nectanebo was an army general from
Sebennytos
Samannud ( ar, سمنود ) is a city (''markaz'') located in Gharbia Governorate, Egypt. Known in classical antiquity as Sebennytos ( grc-gre, Σεβέννυτος), Samannud is a historic city that has been inhabited since the Ancient Egypti ...
, son of an important military officer named Djedhor and of a lady whose name is only partially recorded,
..u. A stele found at
Hermopolis
Hermopolis ( grc, Ἑρμούπολις ''Hermoúpolis'' "the City of Hermes", also ''Hermopolis Magna'', ''Hermoû pólis megálẽ'', egy, ḫmnw , Egyptological pronunciation: "Khemenu"; cop, Ϣⲙⲟⲩⲛ ''Shmun''; ar, الأشمون� ...
provides some evidence that he came to power by overthrowing, and possibly putting to death, the last pharaoh of the
29th Dynasty Nepherites II
Nepherites II or Nefaarud II was the last pharaoh of the feeble and short-lived Twenty-ninth Dynasty (399/8–380 BC), the penultimate native dynasty of Egypt.
Short reign
An "ineffectual" ruler,Wilkinson 2011, p. 456. Nepherites II became p ...
. It has been suggested that Nectanebo was assisted in the ''
coup'' by the
Athenian
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...
general
Chabrias
Chabrias ( el, Χαβρίας; bef. 420–357 BC) was an Athenian general active in the first half of the 4th century BC. During his career he was involved in several battles, both on land and sea. The orator Demosthenes described him as one ...
. Nectanebo carried out the coronation ceremony in c. 379/8 BCE in both
Sais and
Memphis, and shifted the capital from
Mendes to Sebennytos.
The relationships between Nectanebo and the pharaohs of the previous dynasty are not entirely clear. He showed little regard for both Nepherites II and his father
Achoris, calling the former inept and the latter a usurper. He seemed to have had a higher regard for
Nepherites I, who was formerly believed to be Nectanebo's father or grandfather, although it is now believed that this view was due to a misinterpretation of the ''
Demotic Chronicle''. However, it has been suggested that both Achoris and Nectanebo may have been Nepherites I's relatives in some way.
Nectanebo had two known sons:
Teos, who was his appointed successor, and
Tjahapimu
Tjahapimu or Tjahepimu, (''fl.'' c.360 BCE) was an ancient Egyptian prince, general and regent during the 30th Dynasty.
Biography
Tjahapimu most likely was a son of pharaoh Nectanebo I and thus a brother of pharaoh Teos,Alan B. Lloyd, ''Egypt, 40 ...
.
Activities in Egypt
Nectanebo was a great builder and restorer, to an extent not seen in Egypt for centuries. He ordered work on many of the
temples across the country.
On the sacred island of
Philae
; ar, فيلة; cop, ⲡⲓⲗⲁⲕ
, alternate_name =
, image = File:File, Asuán, Egipto, 2022-04-01, DD 93.jpg
, alt =
, caption = The temple of Isis from Philae at its current location on Agilkia Island in Lake Nasse ...
near
Aswan, he began the temple of
Isis
Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...
, which would become one of the most important religious sites in ancient Egypt, by erecting its
vestibule
Vestibule or Vestibulum can have the following meanings, each primarily based upon a common origin, from early 17th century French, derived from Latin ''vestibulum, -i n.'' "entrance court".
Anatomy
In general, vestibule is a small space or cavity ...
. Nectanebo also began the
First Pylon in the Precinct of Amun-Re at
Karnak
The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Constru ...
, and it is believed that the earliest known ''
mammisi'', which was found at
Dendera
Dendera ( ar, دَنْدَرة ''Dandarah''; grc, Τεντυρις or Τεντυρα; Bohairic cop, ⲛⲓⲧⲉⲛⲧⲱⲣⲓ, translit=Nitentōri; Sahidic cop, ⲛⲓⲧⲛⲧⲱⲣⲉ, translit=Nitntōre), also spelled ''Denderah'', ancient ...
, was built by him. The
cult of sacred animals, which became prominent between the two Persian occupation periods (the
27th and
31st dynasties respectively), was supported by Nectanebo as evidenced by archaeological findings at Hermopolis,
Hermopolis Parva,
Saft el-Hinna
Saft el-Hinna ( ar, صفط الحنا, translit=Ṣafṭ al-Ḥinnā), also written as Saft el-Hinneh, Saft el-Henna, Saft el-Henneh, is a village and an archaeological site in Egypt. It is located in the modern Al Sharqia Governorate, in the Ni ...
and Mendes. Further works ordered by the pharaoh have been found in religious buildings at Memphis,
Tanis
Tanis ( grc, Τάνις or Τανέως ) or San al-Hagar ( ar, صان الحجر, Ṣān al-Ḥaǧar; egy, ḏꜥn.t ; ; cop, ϫⲁⲛⲓ or or ) is the Greek name for ancient Egyptian ''ḏꜥn.t'', an important archaeological site in the ...
and
El Kab.
Nectanebo was also generous towards the priesthood. A
decree dated to his first year and discovered on a stele at
Naucratis, required that 10 percent of taxes collected both from imports and from local production in this city were to be used for the temple of
Neith at Sais. A twin of this stele was recently discovered in the now-submerged city of
Heracleion
Heracleion (Ancient Greek: ), also known by its Egyptian name Thonis ( Ancient Egyptian: ; cop, Ⲧϩⲱⲛⲓ , ; Ancient Greek: ) and sometimes called Thonis-Heracleion, was an ancient Egyptian port city located near the Canopic Mouth o ...
. The aforementioned stele from Hermopolis, placed before a pylon of
Ramesses II
Ramesses II ( egy, rꜥ-ms-sw ''Rīʿa-məsī-sū'', , meaning "Ra is the one who bore him"; ), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Along with Thutmose III he is often regarded a ...
, lists the donations made by Nectanebo to the local deities, and other benefits were also granted to the priesthood of
Horus
Horus or Heru, Hor, Har in Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as god of kingship and the sky. He was worshipped from at least the late prehistoric Egypt until the ...
at
Edfu
Edfu ( egy, bḥdt, ar, إدفو , ; also spelt Idfu, or in modern French as Edfou) is an Egyptian city, located on the west bank of the Nile River between Esna and Aswan, with a population of approximately sixty thousand people. Edfu is the sit ...
. Nectanebo's prodigality showed his devotion to the gods and at the same time financially supported the largest holders of wealth of the country and for expenditure on the defence of the country.
Defeating Persian invasion
In 374/3 BCE Nectanebo had to face a
Persian attempt to retake Egypt, which was still considered by the
Achaemenid
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...
king
Artaxerxes II nothing more than a rebel
satrapy. After a six-year preparation and applying pressure on Athens to recall the Greek general
Chabrias
Chabrias ( el, Χαβρίας; bef. 420–357 BC) was an Athenian general active in the first half of the 4th century BC. During his career he was involved in several battles, both on land and sea. The orator Demosthenes described him as one ...
, Artaxerxes dispatched a great army led by the Athenian general
Iphicrates
Iphicrates ( grc-gre, Ιφικράτης; c. 418 BC – c. 353 BC) was an Athenian general, who flourished in the earlier half of the 4th century BC. He is credited with important infantry reforms that revolutionized ancient Greek warfare by ...
and the Persian
Pharnabazus. It has been recorded that the army was composed of over 200,000 troops including Persian soldiers and Greek mercenaries and around 500 ships. Fortifications on the
Pelusiac branch of the Nile ordered by Nectanebo forced the enemy fleet to seek another way to sail up the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest riv ...
. Eventually the fleet managed to find its way up the less-defended Mendesian branch.
At this point, the mutual distrust that had arisen between Iphicrates and Pharnabazus prevented the enemy from reaching Memphis. Then the annual
Nile flood and the Egyptian defenders' resolve to defend their territory turned what had initially appeared as certain defeat for Nectanebo I and his troops into a complete victory.
From 368 BCE many western satrapies of the Achaemenid Empire started to rebel against Artaxerxes II, so Nectanebo provided financial support to the rebelling satraps and re-established ties with both
Sparta
Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...
and Athens.
Succession
Nectanebo died during his 19th year as ruler. His tomb,
sarcophagus
A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Gre ...
and
mummy
A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay fu ...
have never been found. Towards the end of his reign (in Year 16 – 364/3 BCE), probably to remedy the dynastic problems that plagued his predecessors, Nectanebo restored the long-lost practice of the
co-regency
A coregency is the situation where a monarchical position (such as prince, princess, king, queen, emperor or empress), normally held by only a single person, is held by two or more. It is to be distinguished from diarchies or duumvirates such ...
, associating his son Teos to the throne. However, shortly after Teos' accession, his brother Tjahapimu betrayed him and managed to put his own son Nakhthorheb (
Nectanebo II) onto the Egyptian throne.
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
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{{Authority control
360s BC deaths
4th-century BC Pharaohs
Pharaohs of the Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt
Year of birth unknown